As healthcare providers ramp up to provide real-time application hosting and Electronic Health/Medical Records (EHR/EMR), they're moving away from low density server and storage to state-of-the-art Tier IV data centers for data management. Clinical automation and absolute uptime, as well as push from the Obama administration, are driving the trend. A few recent providers who've built Tier IV data centers are: CareTech Solutions, which hosts data for more than150 U.S hospitals, just opened a 30,000 square foot facility in Michigan. Alegent Health and CoSentry completed a 50,000 SF center in January 2010. UnitedHealth will complete a 189,000 SF data center in Minnesota in 2012. Data centers are creating a need for specialized IT workers such as virtualization engineers, SANS experts and system architects. Those focused on healthcare need additional skills in specialized areas like radiology, cardiology and pharmacy. Epic Software, one of the medical industry's fastest growing software application firms, has experienced dramatic growth that's allowed it to become one of the leading names in the EHR/EMR. MUMPS programmers are finding new life with the growth of Electronic Health Records via the data center. The healthcare industry is in a race to complete data centers and install proper systems. Hospitals and doctors who aren't EHR/EMR compliant by 2015 will be subject to financial penalties. -- Dino Londis
As healthcare providers ramp up to provide real-time application hosting and Electronic Health/Medical Records (EHR/EMR), they're moving away from low density server and storage to state-of-the-art Tier IV data centers for data management. Clinical automation and absolute uptime, as well as push from the Obama administration, are driving the trend. A few recent providers who've built Tier IV data centers are: CareTech Solutions, which hosts data for more than150 U.S hospitals, just opened a 30,000 square foot facility in Michigan. Alegent Health and CoSentry completed a 50,000 SF center in January 2010. UnitedHealth will complete a 189,000 SF data center in Minnesota in 2012. Data centers are creating a need for specialized IT workers such as virtualization engineers, SANS experts and system architects. Those focused on healthcare need additional skills in specialized areas like radiology, cardiology and pharmacy. Epic Software, one of the medical industry's fastest growing software application firms, has experienced dramatic growth that's allowed it to become one of the leading names in the EHR/EMR. MUMPS programmers are finding new life with the growth of Electronic Health Records via the data center. The healthcare industry is in a race to complete data centers and install proper systems. Hospitals and doctors who aren't EHR/EMR compliant by 2015 will be subject to financial penalties. -- Dino Londis